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EU-Asia Higher Education Forum
26, June 2026, Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart

Higher Education: Future Skills in the Age of AI

How can educational research shape learning environments in which higher-order cognition, critical thinking, creativity, and social intelligence can thrive — those distinctly human qualities that make the difference in an age shaped by AI and automation? And how can shared, internationally compatible frameworks for graduate attributes emerge that offer orientation while remaining open enough to reflect diverse cultural, institutional, and national contexts?

This forum brings together representatives from international universities to jointly explore these future-oriented questions. In the spirit of FUTUROMUNDO, it creates a dialogical space that goes beyond traditional conference formats: a place for bold perspectives, collaborative learning across continents, and meaningful exchange between European and Asian higher education contexts.

The aim is not only to discuss the future, but to actively shape it — through new alliances, international cooperation, and a shared understanding of the competencies higher education must cultivate to empower people to act responsibly in a complex, interconnected world.

Who takes part – and how do I become a delegate? What are the expectations?

Participation as an exclusive delegate is by personal invitation only. Express your intrest at the bottom of this page, and the forum organizers will get back to you.

All delegates actively contribute to shaping the summit: each participant proactively brings their perspectives, experiences, and research approaches from their respective higher-education contexts into the dialogue.

The contributions will be compiled afterwards and published as an open access collection by Futuromundo and its curational partners.

Delegates will also take part in the two-day festival and receive full access to all five festivals taking place within the FUTUROMUNDO Future Festival.

The EU-Asia Higher Education Forum 2026 is jointly curated by academic partners from:

Korean_National_University_of_Education_Futuromundo

CURATORS

Leonard Sommer

Co-Founder Futuromundo Multi-Conference+Festival, Co-Founder Initiative Classroom Thinktank,
Director News Business & Partnerships We are Family

Leonard Sommer has been committed since 2014 to fostering creativity in school-based learning through the initiative Classroom Thinktank e.V., which he founded.

He has served and continues to serve in voluntary roles within several non-profit educational organizations, including Education Y (Board Member), Wir für Schule (Advisory Board), and DigitalSchoolStory (Brand Ambassador). He is also the initiator and curator of FUTUROMUNDO EDU, the international future festival of learning.

Sommer is the author of the book “Wenn Schule auf Ideen bringt – 100 Kreative denken Lernen neu” (Vahlen Publishing, Munich). He is regularly invited as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator on creativity in education and future-oriented learning. He has delivered talks and moderated workshops at training programs and events organized by, among others:

Festivals / Conferences:

Cannes International Festival of Creativity, France

EUROBEST Festival, Helsinki, Finland

FÖN Creativity Festival (Congress Innsbruck), Austria

European Community (Europa Pont), Budapest

KNUE Global Education Conference: K-GEC

Futuromundo EDU – International Festival of Learning, Stuttgart

PxP Education Festival, Berlin

Educon, Mannheim

Learntec, Karlsruhe

Didacta, Stuttgart

Westermann Group (Westermann Future Summit 2023 and 2024), Berlin

Institutions / Schools / Universities:

Ministry of Education and Sports Baden-Württemberg (Conference “Shaping Change”)

Hessian Ministry of Culture, Education and Opportunities (Teacher Training Day, Goethe University Frankfurt)

State School Authority Brandenburg (Pedagogical Development Day)

State Institute for Schools, Bremen (Conference on Gifted Education)

LISUM – State Institute for Schools Berlin-Brandenburg (Conference on Gifted Education)

Obersee Bilingual School (Tomorrow’s Learner Summit, Wollerau, Switzerland)

Colegio Hacienda Los Alcaparros, Bogotá, Colombia

City of Durham (Durham Festival of Creativity, United Kingdom)

Budapest International School, Budapest

Digital School Story (Barcamp)

Dr. Kristóf Fenyvesi

Senior Researcher at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, specializing in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education.

Kristóf Fenyvesi is coordinating several projects at the Innovative Learning Environments Research Team. The topics of his projects cover Artificial Intelligence, makerspaces, 3D printing, skills and competence development through STEAM, Sustainability, and Planetary Well-being.

His expertise lies in the research and participatory design of interdisciplinary learning environments that foster creativity, collaboration, and innovative thinking. Through his work, he aims to bridge the gap between scientific inquiry and artistic exploration, promoting holistic and engaging educational experiences.

Affiliations:

Associate Professor of Indonesia University of Education

Associate Professor of University of Milano-Bicocca

Associate Professor of Korea National University of Education

Visiting Researcher of Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Visiting Researcher of the Educational Innovation Collaboration Cluster STEAM4EDU, Tallinn University

Director of Experience Workshop STEAM Network

Prof. Pamela Burnard

Professor of Arts, Creativities and Education, University of Cambridge

Pamela Burnard is Professor of Arts, Creativities and Educations at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. She has published widely with 25 books and over 100 articles which advance the theory and practice of multiple creativities across education sectors including early years, primary, secondary, further and higher education, through to creative and cultural industries. She is co-editor of the international journal Thinking Skills and Creativity.

Current funded projects include ‘Choices, Chances and Transitions around Creative Further and Higher Education’; ‘Women in Social Enterprises’ (WISE) and their Participation and Re-presentation in ‘Startups’’; ‘Sculpting New Creativities in Education’ and a meta-analysis of the culminative impact of ‘Contemporary Urban Musics for Inclusion Networks’ (CUMIN). She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, UK and Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation (ISSCI). She sits on the advisory board of the Global Institute of Creative Thinking and Da Vinci Life-Skills Biophilic Education.

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PROGRAM

Information about the programme and the prep paper will be provided

to the delegates by our curation partners no later than 1 April 2026.

The FUTUROMUNDO EDU International Higher Education Forum is designed for collaboration and dialogue. The goal is to bring together diverse research approaches, perspectives, good practices and experiences, to foster inspiring exchange between European and Asian academics.

Participation in the EU-Asian Higher Education Forum is by invitation only. Due to the limited number of delegate places, express your interest by filling this form as soon as possible, but no later than April 1.

After the response deadline on April 1, 2026, we will inform you no later than May 1, 2026 about the detailed agenda and the organizational details of your participation in Stuttgart.

I would like to actively participate and contribute as a delegate.

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What motivates you to contribute?

EU-Asia Higher Education Forum 26, June 2026, Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart

CURATORS

PROGRAM

I would like to actively participate and contribute as a delegate.

EU-Asia Higher Education Forum
26, June 2026, Haus der Wirtschaft, Stuttgart